New Orleans Pelicans Injury Report (Nov 27): Latest update on Zion Williamson's availability vs Utah Jazz

The New Orleans Pelicans had their three-game winning streak halted by the Utah Jazz and a huge factor in the loss is Zion Williamson's absence. The team can bounce back when they battle the Utah Jazz again on November 27. The game takes place again inside the halls of the Delta Center with the tip-off commencing at 9:00 p.m. Eastern Time.

In their last game with the Jazz, Brandon Ingram led the team with 26 points, eight assists and six rebounds in the five-point loss, 100-105. Jonas Valanciunas shot only 30% for the night and finished with only eight points.

With the team missing the services of Zion Williamson, he is still listed as 'questionable' for this game and the reason the Pelicans gave is 'rest'. Basically, there is no indication yet that the team will reactivate him in this game but it would probably be a game-time decision.

Replacing him in the starting lineup was Herb Jones and he should start again if ever Williamson gets scratched again.

Aside from Williamson, Matt Ryan is still in the Pelicans IL and is expected to be back by early December while Trey Murphy III still needs more time to recover from his knee injury.

CJ McCollum still has no timetable to return to playing basketball after suffering a collapsed lung.

The effect of Zion Williamson's absence on the team

Without Zion Williamson against the Utah Jazz, the likes of Walker Kessler looked dominant as he only came off the bench for 21 minutes and already had 11 points, 11 boards and two blocks while Kelly Olynyk had 13 points and six rebounds.

The team clearly struggled with bigger teams and Pelicans head coach Willie Green had a hard time with the team's rotation. Nonetheless, it should not be an excuse for the loss since players are supposed to be stepping up.

"Most teams are going to deal with some type of injury or guys being out or what have you," Willie Green said after the game. "You try to build a foundation and a program that is sustainable, and guys can come in and compete. Rotations are different; guys just have to be ready, and that's what we work on. Just preparation meets opportunity moments."

When active, Zion Williamson contributes 23.2 points, 5.9 rebounds, 4.6 assists and 1.0 steals in 13 games this season so far. He also shot 54% from the field averaging 17 shots a night.